


Freedom Is Found in the Sky

by summer_days



Series: There Is Only the Force [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clone Units, Coruscant (Star Wars), Gen, Let the Duel of the Padawans commence, Lightsaber Duels, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV First Person, knowing when big sister is mad is a healthy survival skill, my jedi can beat up your jedi, not by a lot, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:01:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22310713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summer_days/pseuds/summer_days
Summary: Ces'juwi's wants are very simple. To annoy her older sister. To prank other Jedi with her twin. To fly rings around the other Jedi Initiates.Who decided now was a good time for the galaxy to go to war?This is yet another entry in the story being written by myself, SoulSong, and 4eheretic. This one is being written whenever I get the chance, and so is likely to have chapters added in or out of order.
Series: There Is Only the Force [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538122





	1. bondara (carefree, easy)

978 FGR

I haven’t had this much fun in _ages._ It seems Master Aayla and I aren’t the only ones resupplying, and I’ve been able to hang out with my sisters for the first time since this war started. _Ta’ina_ seems like she’s doing better - still sad at times, but she’s smiling again. She told us all about her new Wookiee Master, and honor families, and how Ahsoka and I are part of _hers._ The band she gave us, made of dried red seaweed, almost blends into my own skin. 

_Hádi_ finally got the Master she’d been waiting for and her excitement has yet to wear off. Ahsoka and I end up showing each other various stretches we’ve learned since the last time we saw each other - Master Aayla has been teaching me some new ones to improve my Ataru, and it seems Ahsoka’s Master has some interesting ones too. Leh is off to one side with a datapad in one hand, the other contorting itself into various gestures, but her eyes stray to us too often for her to be reading anything important. 

Her comlink beeps, and I see Leh’s lekku tense. It’s an understandable reaction - we’re in a war, and an unexpected communication during downtime is almost never a good thing. The voice on the other end belongs to a clone, which doesn’t do much to alleviate my sister’s worry. 

“Commander Noss, you better get down to Yaim’s hangar. The other commanders should come too.” 

The other commanders? Why would Leh’s clone commander want to see us? 

“Captain Victor,” Leh asks with the politest tone she can manage, which means she’s either mad or worried about something. “Might I ask _why_ you think we should join you?” 

“General Skywalker is about to get his butt kicked.” 

_What?_

I watch Ahsoka shoot the comlink a look of disbelief as Leh struggles to hold back a grin. “We’ll be right there.” 

Leh takes off down a corridor, and it’s all Ahsoka and I can do to keep up. About three minutes later, we enter a hangar with an Acclamator-class assault ship, hundreds of clones, and a ring of crates off to one side surrounding a Wookiee and a human male dressed in dark robes. The Wookiee is obviously Master Drayhu - I’ve seen her around the creche often enough. She’s my older sister’s new Master. The human has to be Knight Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka’s Master. 

_Are they…_ I watch as the two Jedi take up stances and ignite their lightsabers in answer to my unvoiced question. _They are. They’re dueling._ The only other question I have is why? 

But a reddish-brown haired human male has called “begin” - Master Obi-Wan Kenobi - and Skywalker charges towards Drayhu almost before he finishes. I watch in amazement as Drayhu catches Skywalker’s hand before sweeping his legs out from under him to drop him on the floor, then points her green blade in his face while she holds his blue saber above his legs.

_ That _ _wasn’t much of a duel._

The hangar is silent for a few moments, then Kenobi speaks. “Well. That answers that question.”

_ What _ _question?_

Drayhu deactivates both lightsabers and helps Skywalker to his feet, and Ahsoka practically explodes next to me.

“What the _kriff_ just happened?” She’s not yelling, but it’s a near thing.

I look over at my sisters to see Leh grin. “What did you expect would happen? My Master is _easily_ eight times your Master’s age.”

So, assuming Skywalker’s about twenty, that makes Drayhu somewhere around one hundred and sixty. So the duel went as expected. _I still want to know why they dueled._

One of the clones speaks up. He’s wearing different armor than the rest of the clones, painted a dark green. “I mean, she has been kicking butt for the last _thousand_ years. She better know what she’s doing.” 

_What?_ I look over at Leh to see her lekku are vibrating with amusement. _Ta’ina, what are you up to?_

“No, Captain, she had a birthday recently. She’s four hundred sixty-three.” 

I’m assuming this is Leh’s clone commander, the one who commed her earlier to watch the fight. _She’s got a partner in crime? Oh, Force help us._

“No no, there’s a _reason_ she was assigned to the 2532nd.” 

Leh is grinning now, and I hold back a groan. _Ta’ina, I don’t understand the joke! What are you doing?_

“Yes. She’s two hundred fifty-three.” 

“No, she’s five hundred thirty-two.” 

A Kel Dor chimes in, his voice filled with mirth - this is Master Plo Koon, the Jedi who found Ahsoka on Shili. “Ah, but Master Yoda just wished her a happy forty-second birthday.” 

Next up is a Cerean, Master Ki-Adi Mundi. “But you see, the year before that, he said she was seven hundred eight.” 

I am seconds away from demanding an explanation from my sister, and from the set of Ahsoka’s lekku, she’s about to join me. Before we can, Skywalker looks worriedly at Kenobi. 

“How hard did I hit the ground? Because I keep hearing different numbers.” 

_So do the rest of us, Skywalker._

Kenobi _also_ seems to be in on the joke, since the corners of his mouth keep trying to twitch up in a smile. “Not too hard. It appears Master Drayhu’s age is a matter of some, conjecture.” 

I blink. _Why?_ I turn to ask Leh, but one look at her too-pleased expression and I decide against it. She can have her fun - I won’t dignify her weird joke with a question. I stay where I am while Ahsoka goes to check on Skywalker and Leh drifts towards the clone I assume is her captain, her lekku still broadcasting her amusement. 

From the crowd, a clone asks what I assume is the latest in a series of questions. “We’ve seen the COs and the Jedi Generals fight, but we haven’t seen the Jedi Commanders yet.” 

I glance over at my sisters to see Leh is considering the suggestion. _Why bother?_ We all know who would win in a fight. Leh has yet to lose a fight against the two of us she didn’t mean to, and while Ahsoka and I are usually fifty-fifty, Ahsoka’s been winning a lot more of our fights recently. 

“Hey Ahsoka.” Leh’s new partner in crime is standing next to her, and I’m willing to bet whatever idea Leh just got is entirely his fault. “Uh, pull out your lightsabers for me.” 

Again, I wonder why. We all know she’d win. 

Ahsoka echoes my thoughts. “Why?” 

“I want to see your lightsabers.” And oh, my sister definitely has something planned - her lekku are shaking with amusement again. 

Ahsoka seems to have picked up on this as well, and her eyes narrow. “You’re just gonna make fun of me, aren’t you?” 

Leh tries to deny the accusation. “When have I _ever_ made fun of you, _hádi?_ ” Ahsoka isn’t impressed, and Leh sighs. “Okay, I _promise_ I’m not gonna make fun of you this time. I _just_ wanna see you do a cadence with your new shoto.” 

Ahsoka glances at me, then pulls out her sabers and settles into a stance. From what I can tell, she looks good, but Leh seems to see something I don’t, her lekku flicking slightly in disappointment. She leans over to whisper something to the clone, who nods and walks over towards a group of blue-armored clones. 

“Alright Rex!” he calls loud enough for half the hangar to hear. “Whadya say one more bet? But this time we go high stakes.” 

_They’re betting on this?_ Why am I not surprised. 

One of the blue-armored clones raises an eyebrow at Leh’s partner in crime, and the clone keeps going. “I beat you. General Drayhu beat General Skywalker. I’m thinking…Commander Noss beats Commander Tano. And I’m willing to bet chores on it.” 

If this clone is smart, he won’t take that bet. He is _guaranteed_ to lose. 

“So, if Commander Noss wins, you and the boys in the 501st, first thing tomorrow morning, come out to Assault Craft _Yaim_ and clean her up until I can see my _reflection_ in the hallway floors. But, if Commander Tano wins, I will give you every single credit I have earned today, and my boys in the 2532nd will come out and scrub down the 501st flagship’s hangar bay.” 

The blue-armored clone apparently is not as familiar with my sister as I am, as he shares considering looks with the clones around him before accepting. “I’ll take that bet. Commander Tano _can_ beat Commander Noss.” 

I barely hold back a scoff. Leh doesn’t do nearly as well, and lets out an actual laugh. _Ta’ina, aren’t you supposed to be the mature one?_

Ahsoka glares at her. “Hey! I’ve improved a lot!” 

_If you say so, hádi._

Leh is about to reply when a male voice speaks up behind us. “You have a 47.33% chance of beating her, at best.” 

I turn to see two humanoid beings that appear to be about my and Ahsoka’s age, one male, one female. Both of them have _very_ pale skin, as white or whiter than the armor the clones wear. The boy has silver hair flecked with black, while the girl has the inverse - black with silver. 

“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” Leh says, her lekku displaying her unbridled fascination. If those padawans aren’t careful, she’s going to adopt them as siblings. 

“Oh yes of course,” the girl steps in with a bow and a grin. “I’m Regina Danakar, Master Plo Koon’s Padawan learner. This is my brother, Theta. He’s Master Mundi’s Padawan.” 

_They’re siblings? That’s weird._

Leh’s fascination is only increasing, and she turns back to the boy. “You said Ahsoka has less than a fifty percent chance of beating me in a duel.” 

Which in my opinion seems high, but alright. 

“47.33%, yes.” 

“May I ask why?” 

The boy - Theta - nods. “Very well.” 

There is a split second of blessed silence, then Theta lets loose with a barrage of analysis that I assume is his reasoning for his specific percentage. The first bit is about forms - how Leh uses Makashi and Ahsoka uses Shien/Djem So. Another number is thrown out - higher than the first, but I don’t catch why. The rest of it is about Skywalker, and I get the feeling Theta doesn’t approve of _something,_ but his words are flying by too fast for me to figure out _what._

It takes me a minute to register he’s stopped talking, and my focus goes immediately to Leh. Her lekku are vibrating again, the corners of her mouth trying to twitch up into a grin. _Of course you followed that._

It seems very few others did, with most of the Masters wearing frowns as they sort through the sea of words. Kenobi’s frown vanishes first, and he smiles at Theta and nods. Why? Did Theta even mention Kenobi at all? 

Skywalker glances over at Kenobi, his frown still evident. “Did he just…insult me?” 

_I mean…probably?_

Leh lets out a bubble of laughter and barely manages to reply through giggles. “Yes. He did. _Five_ times. It was _amazing._ ” 

_You were counting?_ I knew my sister was smart - this just reinforces my opinion. 

“But what…” Ahsoka is still confused, and Leh quiets enough to help her out. Help being a relative term. 

“Basically _hádi_ , if you’ve picked up _anything_ from Master Skywalker, this should be an interesting duel.” 

Ahsoka’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “That’s not at all what he said, is it?” 

Leh shrugs. “It’s the gist. And if you can’t keep up…” There’s the grin that Ahsoka and I know means we’re in trouble. “Then I’m afraid it’s up to your Master to teach you.” 

Ahsoka and Skywalker glance at each other, then Skywalker places a hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder. “You can take her, Snips.”

 _I’m sorry, what did you just call my sister?_ Did Ahsoka’s Master nickname her? If he did, that is as hilarious as everyone’s continued confidence that Ahsoka can defeat Leh.

The pale girl from earlier - Regina - speaks up. “Are you two gonna fight or what?” 

Leh looks over at Ahsoka, her lekku _still_ vibrating with amusement. _Seriously, ta’ina. You’re going to get muscle exhaustion._

“What do you say, _hádi?_ Shall we see what Master Skywalker has taught you?” 

“You’re on.” 

Seriously, am I the only being not suffering from a loss of common sense? Ahsoka, you have _never_ won against Leh unless she _wanted_ you to! What makes you think this is going to be different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Languages:
> 
> hádi - "sister", Togruti
> 
> ta'ina - "sister", Nautila


	2. numa (sister)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ces just doesn't get the clone troops.
> 
> Master Drayhu's perspective is found in Chapter 11 of A Jedi's Legacy by SoulSong.  
> Captain Victor's perspective is found in Chapter 9 of To the Victor Goes the Spoils by 4eheretic.  
> Theta Danakar's perspective is found in Chapter 16 of Tales of Clan Danakar by SoulSong.  
> Leh Noss's perspective is found in Chapter 12 of In the Path of a Hurricane.

978 FGR  
  


Leh and Ahsoka enter the ring of crates, and I take the opportunity to sidle up next to my clone commander. “Hey, Bly,” I ask quietly. “What the kriff is going on? Why is everyone dueling, and why are beings _betting_ on it?” 

Bly takes a moment to consider my question before answering. “Well, Commander, it started a couple hours ago. A group of the other clones got together and were arguing over which unit was better.” 

I frown. “How many units are here? Not that many, right?” 

Bly starts pointing out various clones around the hangar. “We’ve actually got quite a few. There’s Commander Cody with the 212th serving under General Kenobi, Commander Wolffe of the 104th under General Plo Koon,” he points first to a clone with orange-painted armor, then one with grey-painted armor before moving on to a clone with maroon-painted armor. “Commander Bacara is with the 21st Nova Corps - also called the Galactic Marines - under General Mundi. Captain Rex is with the 501st under General Skywalker, and Captain Victor is with the 2532nd under General Drayhu.” The last two are a clone with blue-painted armor and one with weird green-painted armor I recognize as my sister’s new partner in crime. 

I pause and count. _Orange clones, grey clones, maroon, blue, green - plus Bly’s yellow…huh._ “That’s a lot of units,” I mutter, then I glance up at Bly. “And you said they were arguing over who’s the best?” A nod, and I tilt my head in curiosity. “Who’s winning?” 

Bly’s suddenly looking anywhere but me. “Yeah…the 2532nd’s currently in the lead. We had a battle royale of the officers, and Victor dropped the most before Cody dropped him. General Skywalker was the only Jedi willing to even _try_ to fight General Drayhu, and now…” He nods towards the ring, where my sisters are settling into their usual stances. “Those two are fighting.” Bly pauses and looks down at me. “You’re familiar with them, right?” 

“Yeah,” I reply as Leh salutes Ahsoka. 

“Any idea who’s going to win?” 

I raise an eyebrow at Bly. “I do. But I’ll tell you _after-_ ” 

“Begin!” 

I smile and finish. “After they start. So, now.” Bly waits for me to continue, but I don’t speak up until Ahsoka loses patience and launches herself at Leh. “Ahsoka, Leh and I practically grew up together. We’ve known each other for years - been dueling each other for years.” Leh’s getting annoyed, but she’s holding it in check as she lets Ahsoka push her around the ring. “And to this day, neither of us has beaten Leh unless she wanted us to win.” 

Bly seems to consider my statement as he turns back to ring. Leh has yet to strike back at Ahsoka, her movements purely defensive. Anyone else would think she was losing. “She hasn’t landed a strike yet,” Bly comments, and I shrug. 

“Wait for it.” 

Sure enough, after another minute or so, Leh starts making offensive strikes. Ahsoka blocks them all, but Leh’s frustration is mounting. 

“She still hasn’t-” Bly cuts himself off as Leh manages to dodge both of Ahsoka’s sabers to kick her squarely in the ribs. Ahsoka manages to recover quickly, leaping back into the fray, but Leh’s annoyance spikes again barely a minute later. “Well. That was…interesting,” Bly mutters. “Didn’t think she _could_ do that.” 

I could reply to that, but Bly’s got a point. Jedi don’t often fight hand to hand - or foot to torso, in this case. Leh doesn’t normally kick her opponents in the ribs, which means one of two things. She’s either running low on options, or she’s trying to prove a point. I’m willing to bet it’s the latter. Leh is rarely able to spar either of us without trying to help us improve something. Her frustration that keeps mounting is more likely because she’s noticed a major flaw in Ahsoka’s form than because she’s having a hard time landing a hit. 

My opinion turns out to be the right one, as Leh’s frustration peaks in tandem with double strikes to Ahsoka’s hands. The strikes are quick, hard, and _inside_ where Ahsoka’s guard should have been. _I think I figured out what ta’ina’s annoyed with._

Master Drayhu rumbles “[Solah!]” as Leh deactivates her lightsaber, her lekku vibrating slightly with tension. If I know my sister, she is fighting back her urge to scream at somebody. Her voice when she does speak is calm. 

“Ahsoka, I’m sorry to tell you that you have _not_ improved in the months since I last saw you.” 

Ahsoka goes to protest, and Leh holds out a hand. _Really, hádi. You should know better than to try to interrupt our sister when she has something to say._

“No, _hádi_. I have something that must be said, and your _Master_ is going to hear it.” 

I blink. _Interesting._ Usually Leh directs her critiques at us, but then again, neither of us has had a Master for long. 

My sister folds her hands in front of her, the picture of peaceful serenity, and asks Skywalker a question. “Master Skywalker, may I ask how long Ahsoka Tano has been your padawan learner?” 

It takes everything I have not to step back. For Leh, precise speech is the equivalent of yelling at someone. The more problems she has with a being, the more polite she gets. And this? This is a perfect example of her yelling. 

Skywalker glances at Kenobi before he answers. “I-I’m not totally sure. Five months, I think?” 

Leh nods. “Five months. Master Skywalker, are you aware that I have sparred Padawan Tano before?” 

_She used Ahsoka’s formal title. Oh, this is bad._

Skywalker doesn’t seem to understand what he’s in for and shrugs. “I mean, I could guess.” 

Leh nods again, her lekku perfectly still with only the barest vibrations passing through them. “Then you know I speak from a position of authority when I tell you that, far from improving, Padawan Tano’s sparring capabilities have gotten _worse_ since I last saw her.” 

_Here we go._

"A year and a half ago, I warned Ahsoka that she was consistently dropping her guard and leaving herself open to attacks, particularly on her left side. I know she worked on it, because I know my sister. But as I said, it has been a _year and a half._ And the problem has, _somehow,_ gotten _worse,_ not better. Ahsoka constantly leaves herself open to a frontal attack the longer the fight goes on, as her sabers drift farther and farther to either side. In addition, she expended most of her energy in her first attack. This is an old problem that, again, has yet to be corrected. Theta was correct in his initial analysis - Ahsoka's technique has suffered over the last few months." 

And here I see the source of Leh’s frustration during the fight - she kept watching Ahsoka give her an opening and was waiting for her to correct it on her own. She didn’t. And Leh’s taking issue with Skywalker over it. 

"As her Master, _you_ are supposed to correct these problems. _And you have not._ Of course, I understand, we're at war. I'm sure it's difficult to fit training between battles and strategy meetings and all your other responsibilities. _But._ " 

Leh’s lekku are pulsing now, and while it’s faint, I can tell she’s losing control. 

"If _I,_ a seventeen year old padawan can see the gaps in Ahsoka's defense, you can be _certain_ the battle droids and Separatist troops will see them as well. Or Force forbid you run into one of the _darksiders_ I've heard about and Ahsoka ends up fighting _them._ And when the enemy sees through her defenses? They won't hold back because she's still learning. They will take the opportunities I ignored, and _kill_ her. So I don't care how busy your schedule is Master Skywalker, I am telling you to _make time._ Before I receive a transmission telling me my little sister has followed my last Master and gone where I cannot follow." 

I blink, and my heart aches. _Oh, ta’ina…_

Leh never really spoke to us about losing Master Trebor. Ahsoka and I were with her when she sensed his death, but after… Master Aayla and I shipped out with the 327th, and Ahsoka was still an Initiate. But for today, it seems she’s focused more on her displeasure with Skywalker than her grief for her old Master. 

Ahsoka’s lekku twist slightly in embarrassment as she interjects. "Leh, I thought I was doing better, since I held you off for longer." 

_Ahsoka, you know that’s not how duels with Leh work._

“I am sorry, _hádi_.” Leh turns towards Ahsoka, her lekku relaxing out of the tight control she’d been trying to maintain. “But the opening I finally took advantage of? I saw at least six times before that. I didn't, because I was hoping your Master had actually taught you something other than how _not_ to do things. But eventually my patience reached its end. So congratulations, Master Skywalker," Leh finishes as she makes her way out of the ring of crates, her lekku back to tense. "You exhausted my patience. You can ask your padawan exactly how hard that is in your next training session." 

_Well kriff._

Bly seems to have a similar opinion. “Does Commander Noss usually do that?” 

I shake my head. “No,” I tell him as I watch Leh practically stalk off to a corner of the hangar to cool down. “And for her, that was the equivalent of screaming at Master Skywalker.” 

Bly’s eyes widen, then our attention is distracted by someone saying, “I’m feeling good, want to make a bet?” 

_The kriff?_

I turn to see Victor facing a clone in grey-painted armor. “Seriously,” I mutter under my breath, but still loud enough for Bly to hear me, “what is _with_ him?” 

Bly chuckles. “Him? He’s nothing. You should check out some of the bets one of his men is taking - if he keeps up his win streak, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had enough to buy his own fleet at the end of this.” 

I shake my head. And I thought the 327th was interesting. 

“If Commander Noss beats your Jedi Commander, you replace my Deece - DC-17.” 

“Why does he need a new gun?” I ask Bly, not really expecting a reply. To my surprise, Bly supplies one. 

“From what I understand, Wolffe broke it during a three-way fight between the two of them and Bacara. Seems like Victor wants to get Wolffe to replace it for him.” 

I frown. “Why not just ask?” 

“Because the DC-17m is _expensive,_ and because technically, I think Victor actually damaged it. Wolffe was just wielding it at the time.” 

I raise an eyebrow at my Commander at that. “You guys really went all out for that, didn’t you?” Bly shrugs, and I flash him a trouble-making smile. “Are there any holo-recordings?” 

Bly’s eyes widen. “No. Definitely not, Commander. There are no recordings.” 

“Uh-huh.” I turn my attention back to Victor to find he’s heading for Leh. _Uh, what?_

I watch nervously as my sister stands and has a quick discussion with Victor, most of my attention on her lekku. They flick ever so slightly in annoyance, then stop. Drayhu joins them and I blink in surprise as Leh jumps an inch. My sister is usually so perceptive, I didn’t think she _could_ be startled. The three of them talk, then there is the sound of something hitting the ground and my eyes snap to the source before I register what it is. The silver-haired boy from earlier - Theta, I think - is laying on the floor. _Did he fall?_

There is movement off to one side, and I note Koon and the black-haired girl - Regina? - making their way towards the center ring. Victor, Drayhu, and Leh mirror them, stopping momentarily to talk to Theta as he stands. They take too long for Regina, and I have to hold back a laugh as she starts doing stretches even stranger than what Ahsoka and I had been doing earlier. Maybe she could teach us. 

Leh enters the ring, her lekku set in anticipation. _She’s enjoying this._ Which doesn’t really surprise me. My sister enjoys learning new things, whether they’re techniques, languages, or people. Koon steps out, and Regina and my sister face each other, sabers in hand. 

“Ready?” 

Regina grins and switches to reverse grip. I blink. _Oh, she fights like Ahsoka and me. Cool._

“Oh, yes.” She ignites them, and I actually step back in surprise. They’re _purple._

“The kriff?” I mutter. 

“Is that not common?” Bly asks quietly. 

“Uh, yeah, no,” I reply. “I thought only one Jedi had a lightsaber that color, and he’s a Master on the Jedi Council.” 

“Not a padawan?” 

“Yeah, definitely not a padawan,” I hiss back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Languages:
> 
> ta'ina - "sister"; literally "younger sister", Nautila
> 
> hádi - “sister”, Togruti

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments will be adored and cherished.


End file.
